Disco Elysium designer thought to be suing company for rights to the IP

Disco Elysium’s lead designer is likely suing Studio ZA/UM over the rights to the property, at least according to one of the developer’s founders. 

Following the discovery that designer Anthony Kurvitz is suing his former publisher after he and several other creative leads on Disco Elysium were involuntarily let go last month, further perspective has been shared. 

One of ZA/UM’s founders, Martin Luiga, who is no longer with the company, said that he thinks it’s likely that Kurvitz is suing their former company over the IP rights to Disco Elysium. Kotaku spoke to Luiga about the situation, and while he said he is deliberately trying not to learn about the case, when asked if it was likely Kurvitz was suing the company over the rights, he said: “What else could it possibly be?”

It looks like this is going to be a complicated case, as while ZA/UM seems to have the rights to the game, Kurvitz could regain control due to creating the IP before working with the game developer. In 2013, Kurvitz wrote the novel Sacred and Terrible Air set in the world of Disco Elysium, which in turn was based on a tabletop RPG. These prior works inside the world of Disco Elysium may help Kurvitz wrestle away the IP, but right now, it’s impossible to say who is most likely to succeed without further detail.

The case will be heard on November 28, and the outcome will have enormous ramifications. It’s believed Kurvitz and his team were working on a Disco Elysium sequel, and that project’s fate would likely be dependent on Kurvitz owning the rights. While ZA/UM may choose to explore a sequel on its own, it’s hard to imagine the game hitting the massive heights its predecessor did without the work of Kurvitz and other creative leads on the project.

Want to know more about the game? Check out our feature on The Making of Disco Elysium (opens in new tab).